Barbecue Pizza with Pineapple in the Oven or on the Grill

2010 June 7

What can I say about the Riverwalk Market Fair, which opened in town Saturday, that I talked about last week? I’m actually going to withhold my opinion. It’s in the beginning stage and deserves more of a chance.

I did pick up some herb plants at my usual farmer’s market- the one not associated with this fair so I still came home happy.

We made the Tripel style beer Sunday that I talked about in my beer post not long ago. Sorry, no pictures. The kitchen was cramped enough with all of the equipment, preparation and both Greg and myself standing around. Plus, the lighting is not at all helpful in taking decent pictures. (No, I don’t have windows in the kitchen.) If I feel like it, we’ll snap some shots next time. We’re hoping “next time” is very soon.

What goes great with beer? Pizza, barbecue pizza with pineapple this time. This is a great combination. I’ve been a fan for a long time. I left the meat out of this one but feel free to add cooked bacon and/or grilled/roasted chicken. I also didn’t make my own barbecue sauce but there’s a recipe below for one of my trusted sauces. The sauce will need to simmer for a few hours if you decide to go that route. If not, pick up your favorite store-bought version. Greg likes Sweet Baby Rays. The Martha Stewart crust needs to be made ahead of time but you can buy two crusts if you want to save some time but it doesn’t take long to make your own. You can grill the pizza, if the mood strikes, by placing the entire pizza on an oiled grilltop for 10 to 15 minutes on medium-hot heat.

Place the water in a large bowl, sprinkle with the yeast and let stand until foamy. (About 5 minutes.) Brush another large bowl with oil lightly.

Whisk the sugar, oil and salt into the yeast mixture, stir in flour with a wooden spoon until sticky dough forms. Transfer to the oiled bowl, brush the top with oil, cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place for about an hour, until it doubles in size.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead with floured hands until smooth, about 15 seconds. Divide into 2 balls. Freeze in plastic wrap separately until firm (about an hour). Thaw in the fridge overnight to use the following day or freeze up to 3 months. Sprinkle the dough with cornmeal once it’s thawed for a great crunch.

Heat oil in large pot, cast iron works well and add chopped onion and garlic. Sauté until brown and then add salt, chili powder, cumin, coriander, molasses and brown sugar. Mix and bring to boil for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, liquid smoke and apple cider vinegar, bring to boil and then reduce to simmer for 2-3 hours (until thickened and dark). Then, add white vinegar and Worcestershire sauce and taste for more salt/pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes more and take off heat. When cool, place in blender and add 1/4 to ½ cup of water and puree until it reaches desired consistency. Store in jar or airtight container.

Be sure to thaw your pizza dough. Preheat the oven to 450. I used a pizza stone but you can use a baking sheet. If you are using a pizza stone, give it ample time to heat up and be careful because that thing will be very hot. I think at least 30 minutes in the 450 degree oven will suffice but an hour is even better.

In a skillet, over medium heat, add the oil and cook the onion until tender.

Sprinkle, if using a baking sheet, the bottom of the sheet with cornmeal and roll out the dough into an oval or shape of your choice. I don’t have a pizza peel so I removed the very hot stone carefully and added cornmeal to the bottom of the dough, placed it on the stone and quickly added the toppings. If you have a peel, construct the pizza on that and throw it onto the stone in the oven to make it easier. If using the sheet, just construct it on top of that and place it in the oven.

Top each crust with half of the ingredients and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. You can grill the pizza if the mood strikes by placing the entire pizza on an oiled grilltop for 10 to 15 minutes on medium-hot heat.

In college, my friends and I would always get pineapple & onion pizzas. People thought we were weird until they tried it. For my birthday a few weeks ago, I had my family over for homemade pizza and the biggest hit was my BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger pizza. It’s seriously all my favorite foods in one. I used Martha’s dough recipe (per your suggestion) and it was lovely. But in a pinch, the supermarket has a few brands of pre-made crusts that aren’t terrible. Greg has an exceptional palate, as I always use Sweet Baby Ray’s. This article is all of my favorite things in one.

Thanks, Nathan! We also had some weird looks in college when we said we wanted pineapple bbq pizza until we took them to an Arni’s Pizza and they ate it up. I need your bbq bacon cheeseburger pizza. I think they have one like that at the Pickle in Markle, Indiana. Yum! Which crusts do you recommend at the store? I’ve really wanted to try one for ease. I’m all out of dough in the freezer. I’ll let Greg know his taste is exceptional-he’ll love that.

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Hi, I'm Annie and I'm hungry. You can find me near Seattle these days (previously Minnesota and Indiana), cooking and sharing worthwhile recipes with an occasional bit about remodeling & designing homes and refurbishing furniture. This blog mostly documents my experience in the kitchen from 2008 to 2014 with sporadic posts after that era. You can find me at thewitsblog.com, emandwit.com or Instagram today.